The federal government, in conjunction with the Alberta government, have invested $779M for an underground plant food storage unit. The unit will capture plant food (also known as CO2) from industries and store it underground in a holding facility (much like as in Ghostbusters), to be released into the atmosphere by some crazy scientist (again, much like as in Ghostbusters) sometime into the future, creating havoc for everybody on Earth. Or something.
At least it is some $220M less than Ontario’s recent M2W (Money To Waste, or, McGuinty To Waste) program.
Together, they could have bought 1800 MRI machines, or 100,000 nurses, saving MANY, MANY more lives than electronic health records or stopping Global Warming could ever hope to do.
Called “Canada’s biggest white-collar fraud“, Lacroix has been sentenced to 13 years in jail (of course, counting time served, and eligible for early parole after 1/6th of that time, Lacroix could be out in 18 months).
“Biggest”? A mere $100 million? I can think of a number of people who scammed us for much more than that: hmm, for say, $1 billion, people like McGuinty, Smitherman, Caplan, Kramer. They scammed millions of people out of 1 billion dollars.
Turns out, the “controversial” body bags that were sent to a Manitoba reserve, and created so much uproar in the media and opposition parties last month, were ORDERED by a NURSE on the reserve!
Biggest story yesterday was, without a doubt, the eHealth auditor’s report on a $1B WASTE of OUR MONEY. That was, in fact, the biggest news story this week. On Wednesday morning, the Ottawa Citizen (a CanWest newspaper) reported on David Caplan’s weasley resignation over eHealth on PAGE 4 in a sub-sub column type story, buried far away from the front page. I thought: OK, it’s a CanWest paper. They don’t like to talk dirty about ANY liberal. Strike one.
So then came on Global TV News (CanWest again) with Kevin Newman, live from Toronto, on Thursday evening. Lead story? How the CONSERVATIVES are NOT ACCOUNTABLE for the stimulus program with their ‘vague’ Action Plan website with only ballpark numbers, and how in the States it is all so wonderful with fancy websites with all the information you could ever need on their stimulus packages, down to the cent. We got to see some Liberal MP, aide by the side, you know, to provide him with some much needed ideas, staring at a computer screen and commenting on how the Economic Action Plan website is misleading Canadians and withholding the truth. Then they tracked down John Baird, and his explanation was simple: (paraphrasing) “That website they have in the US cost them 65 million dollars, we’d rather put that money into roads”. There, end of the story. A non-story, really. Why did they open with this story as opposed to the Billion Dollar Scandal in Ontario? Simple, so we can now ease into the liberal un-friendly story with the following line: “… and another example of what can happen when Governments are not held accountable: in Ontario a report came out today on eHealth, the Ontario Government’s…”. ANOTHER EXAMPLE? You’re equating a blatantly incompetent McGuinty Goverment’s 1 BILLION DOLLAR WASTE to a website that only lists ballpark figures of money actually spent and got something for it? And those are BOTH examples of what can happen when Governments are not held accountable?
Strike two.
This morning, I open the Citizen. Granted, they (finally) have the eHealth story on the front page. However, my eye caught a story further on in the paper: “PM appoints 5 judges with Tory links“. And I thought: funny how I never read: “Chretien appoints 5 judges with Liberal links” back in the nineties. It was just “PM appoints 5 new judges”.
With the polls clearly indicating that Canadians are moving away from Liberals and towards Conservatives, it is no wonder CanWest is losing money: you can’t bet on a losing horse and expect to make money.
It appears Iggy is getting frustrated with all the good news coming out of Canada these days: Canada’s Action Plan is working, and commercials and websites point out this fact. He is complaining that the Action Plan commercials and website are too… conservative. What, with pictures of the Prime Minister and his Cabinet of all things. Imagine that. He is complaining the commercial and website talk about “The Harper Government” and “Conservative Government” and should say “Canada’s Government”.
Hmm… I seem to recall a certain “conservative deficit” and “conservative budget” being mentioned, oh, say, last fall and Christmas (remember the Coalition of the Idiots?)… Just as this Liberal press release has numerous references to “Conservative Budget” and “Harper Government” and even mentions “Liberal Government” quite a few times. Oh, heck, just go through the Liberal Media Releases yourself, and try to find ANY reference to “Canada’s Government” in there…
It seems when the times are tough, it’s “Harper’s Government”, and when the times are good, it’s “Canada’s Government”. Almost as if the opposition parties somehow had something to do with the fact our economy seems to be the strongest in the world right now and they want some credit for it.
Well, I think poll numbers show that Canadians know who’s to be congratulated for this economic turnaround. And it ain’t you, Mr. HypocrIggy!
So they sent some body bags up to Northern Manitoba. Body bags that were a part of a “flu kit” of some sort, that included (besides the body bags) face masks, gloves, hand lotion, etc. First Nations had been screaming for hand lotion for months now, they finally got it, but all they mentioned on the news were the body bags. Body bags this, body bags that. Insulting. Whatever.
Look. The H1N1 flu is deadly. Numerous people have died over the past 6 months, including first nations. It is very prudent to send up medicine, barrier clothing and, indeed, body bags, should the person die of H1N1. The body bag is there to protect the rest of the population. It is not insulting, it is a part of the kit. Once again, the media, by focusing on the body bags and not even mentioning the rest of the kit, gave the Canadian people a deliberately false impression that the government sent body bags instead of “real h1n1 flu packages” as one commenter on the CTV website puts it.
It is not like they asked for a kit with masks and lotion, and received body bags instead. The body bags are a part of the kit. This is a pandemic-containment measure. The pandemic containment strategy goes from the most minute (hand lotion) to the most extreme (death – containment of infected deceased).
Of course, having nothing else going his way, Iggy jumped on the band wagon and blamed the government for such an insensitive act. I suppose we didn’t ship any body bags to Afghanistan either, as to not to insult the armed forces. Maybe we shouldn’t have any coroners either…
And, had we not send any body bags up there, and people had died, the government would be blamed for not caring for the First Nations. So we can never win.
After years of supporting campaigns to conserve water in the City of Ottawa, the city has now run into a problem: water consumption is down so much, that the city is looking at a $7M deficit in revenues, and in return will have to increase the rates on everything (including your water bill) to make up for it.
So, first they ask us to consume less, we do what they ask, and then as a thank you, they hit us over the head with an increase on the very bill they asked us to reduce.
I think the brains at city hall are made of 100% water, as opposed to the regular 70%.
And don’t get me started on exactly WHY we should be conserving water: it’s only the most abundant–and most recycled–substance on the face of the earth.
Ontario’s summer, so far, has been so cold and damp that it is now very hospitable to Heracleum mantegazzianum, also known as the Giant Hogweed, which is native to Russia, and thrived in the early 1970s in (also) damp and cold Britain. Ontario’s summer has been so cold and wet that it closely resembles Britain’s, and as such, the Giant Hogweed is quickly spreading.
The Giant Hogweed is a plant that can grow up to 7 meters tall, and it’s 3 cm thick stems have a clear liquid that, combined with sunlight, can make your skin boil. It was introduced to Britain by a victorian explorer, planted in the Royal Gardens at Kew, and quickly took over the countryside, prompting my favourite band Genesis to write a song about it:
The Return of the Giant Hogweed
Turn and run!
Nothing can stop them,
Around every river and canal their power is growing.
Stamp them out!
We must destroy them,
They infiltrate each city with their thick dark warning odour.
They are invincible,
They seem immune to all our herbicidal battering.
Long ago in the russian hills,
A victorian explorer found the regal hogweed by a marsh,
He captured it and brought it home.
Botanical creature stirs, seeking revenge.
Royal beast did not forget.
He came home to london,
And made a present of the hogweed to the royal gardens at kew.
Waste no time!
They are approaching.
Hurry now, we must protect ourselves and find some shelter
Strike by night!
They are defenceless.
They all need the sun to photosensitize their venom.
Still theyre invincible,
Still theyre immune to all our herbicidal battering.
Fashionable country gentlemen had some cultivated wild gardens,
In which they innocently planted the giant hogweed throughout the land.
Botanical creature stirs, seeking revenge.
Royal beast did not forget.
Soon they escaped, spreading their seed,
Preparing for an onslaught, threatening the human race.
The dance of the giant hogweed
Mighty hogweed is avenged.
Human bodies soon will know our anger.
Kill them with your hogweed hairs
Heracleum mantegazziani
Giant hogweed lives
So where’s this Global Warming everybody keeps talking about?
PS. The recommended way of getting rid of the Giant Hogweed: Round-Up, which, thanks to a certain Mr. McGuinty, is no longer available in Ontario. Good job!
If anyone recognizes the idiot morons in the following video, please contact your local authorities. This video is believed to have been shot in Southern Alberta or Saskatchewan:
Apparently, brain and dick sizes are related.
UPDATE: Three suspects have been picked up in Saskatchewan and are due in court shortly. Link.
I thought a piece of sophisticated technology like the Space Shuttle has to be flown and operated by a variety or personnel like commander, pilot, several mission specialists, and a flight engineer. I thought the International Space Station needs a crew of at least three to make it functional. But if you’ve been following the latest Endeavour space mission, you’d think it would all be done by just one person: Julie Payette. Every night on the news: Julie Payette in the Shuttle taking off. Julie Payette docking the shuttle to the station. Julie Payette operating the Canadarm 2. Julie Payette hugging herself on live TV (there were two Canadians on board the station–can you name the other one??). Julie Payette fixed the toilet. Shuttle carrying Julie Payette landed in Florida. Julie Payette is back on Earth. Ah, thank God. It’s over. However, now we’ll get: Julie Payette drives home from Floria. Julie Payette gets hassled at the border for bringing back too much alcohol. Julie Payette pulls into her driveway and hits her dog.
Copyright 2010 ERWIN GERRITS. All Rights Reserved.